What Makes Us Human

Selected for the White Ravens 2023 catalogue, by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany (Brazilian Portuguese edition)
Selected for the dPICTUS Unpublished Picture Book Showcase 4 (2022 edition), receiving 14 votes from a panel of 50 international publishers.
Selected for the 2023 Bologna Children's Book Fair exhibition Beauty and the World: The New Nonfiction Picture Books (March 5, 2023, Bologna)
Published in partnership with UNESCO in many editions in association with the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages

A poetic riddle about language, history, and culture, released in partnership with UNESCO in honor of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032).

Can you guess what I am? I have been around a very, very long time. You hardly knew me as a baby, but now you cannot get me out of your head. There are thousands of me, all over the globe, and some of those forms are disappearing. I can connect you to the past, present, and future. Who am I--and why am I so important to humanity?

Clever and thought-provoking, What Makes Us Human is an accessible introduction to how language connects people across the world. This unique book celebrates all the amazing ways communication shapes our lives, including through text messages on phones, Braille buttons in elevators, and endangered languages at risk of disappearing.

Author: Victor D. O. Santos
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: 03/05/2024
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 11.14h x 8.71w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780802856258
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/01/2024 pg. 56
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2024
School Library Journal 02/01/2024 pg. 106
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2024 pg. 116

About the Author
Victor D.O. Santos is a linguist and children's author who has lived in five different countries and studied ten different languages. My Dad, My Rock, his English-language debut (Scribble), was a Kirkus Best Book of 2022. Originally from Brazil, Victor now lives in Des Moines, Iowa, where he and his Ukrainian wife are raising two multicultural, multilingual children. Follow Victor on Instagram @linguacious_llc.

Anna Forlati is an artist and illustrator whose books include Yoga Poses for Kids (Albert Whitman) and My Dad, My Rock (Scribble). What Makes Us Human was featured in dPICTUS's Unpublished Picture Book Showcase and was exhibited at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Anna has studied Greek and Latin and is currently learning Arabic. She lives in Turin, Italy. Visit Anna's website at annaforlati.com.